Gauging device



Dec. 10,1946. R Y MOSS 2,412,413

GAUGING DEVICE lFiled Aug. 2, 1945 ATTORN EY Patented Dec. 10, 1946 GAUGING nevica Richard Y. Moss, Dayton, Ohio, assigner to The Sheflield Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 2, 1945,.Serial No. 608,477

Claims. (Cl. 33-174) This invention relates to gauging devices and more particularly to gauging devices that measure or compare the size of workpieces by gauging the flow of iluid through leakage orifices.

One object or the invention is the provision of a gauging device embodying a pair of upright tapered flow tubes having floats responsive to the air flow through the tubes and eachconnected to a gauging member which is adapted for cooperation with male and female parts intended to interfit with one another, adjustable index members being provided for the two tubes and so arranged that as one of these members moves in one direction the other member moves correspondingly'in an opposite direction.

Another object is the provision of a gauging device having a pair of flow tubes with indicating means responsive to the rate of iiow of fluid through gauging nozzles provided in members intended for cooperation with interfltting male and female parts to be checked or gauged, interconnected index members being arranged for movement in opposite directions whereby the movement of one indeX member to a point adjacent the indicating means of one tube will automatically adjust a scale member or index for the other tube for direct reading of the clearance between the male and female parts being gauged.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawing, in which7 Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a gauging device embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation on an enlarged scale showing the indicating and flow tube portions of the gauging device;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the invention as herein illustrated is incorporated in a gauging device for directly comparing or measuring the clearance between male and female workpieces intended to cooperate with one another in interitting relation,vthese two workpieces being gauged simultaneously by separate Work engaging members and similar flow tubes of the character more fully disclosed in the prior patent of Willis Fay Aller, #2,254,259, granted September 2, 1941. In accordance with the present invention, pistons can be successively applied to the gauging device and at the same time the cylinder in which any piston is intended to cooperate can be applied to another portion of the 2, gauging device and the amount of clearance that piston would have in that cylinder can be observed. Thus, the gauging device includes a work engaging spindle li, see Fig. 1, adapted to enter the hole of the cylinder or other workpiece to be gauged, and a gauging member l I having a groove or opening i2 to receive the piston or other male part intended to interfit the cylinder. The spindle Hl has a leakage orifice or gauging nozzle I3 that cooperates with the inner surface of the workpiece or cylinder so that the clearance between the outer surface of this gauging nozzle and the workpiece determines the amount of leakage ci duid supplied to the nozzle. The rate of fluid flow is shown by float I4 operable in a Yflow tube l5 carried by the housing i5 of the gauging device. A flexible conduit Il connects the gauging spindle lil to the upper end of the ow tube l5. Air is supplied to the gauging instrument from the factory air line and its pressure is automatically held constant at any desired value by a suitable pressure regulator which supplies the air under pressure to the lower end of the flow tube i5. The internal passage through the flow tube tapers upwardly and gradually so that as the float is carried upwardly by the flowing air, the distance between the float and the walls of the tube increases. The oat thus assumes some position of equilibrium depending upon the amount of flow taking place through the gauging nozzle.

The gauging member H is also provided with a gauging orifice at one side of the slot or opening, cooperating with the outer surface of the workpiece or piston that might be arranged in that slot and facing towards the workpiece axis. A flexible fluid conduit i9 places the gauging orice in communication with the upper end of a second flow tube 2t, which is arranged adjacent to or alongside of the tube i5. The tube 2D is similar to the tube l5 and is provided with a iloat 2l responsive to the rate of flow of fluid through that tube. The housing l@ is provided with suitable supporting means for the tubes, which are visible through an opening 22 in a front cover plate 23.

An index arm 25 is adjustably mounted for movement along the tube l5. It has an index mark or line il@ that can be placed opposite the top of float is wherever that float might be when the spindle lil is entered in the cylinder to be gauged. This index arm is provided on a block 21 which is guided for movement along the groove 28 in the housing E6. The front cover plate 2i, which is secured to the housing by suitable screws 29, holds the block 21'in the groove. The block 21 has a passage parallel to the length screw 32 threaded in the block 21 serves as a clamp to secure the cable and the block together, the thumb screw projecting through the clearance space between the cover plate 23 and the housing I6 so it may be conveniently operated from the exterior of the housing whenever it is necessary'to adjust the relative position of the block and the cable. i

At the opposite side of the housing there is another groove 33 guiding another block 34 having a thumb screw 35 which connects the block to the flexible cable 3|. This block is also provided with an index member 3B. The arrangement of the block, the cable and the grooves are similar for the two index members, but the index members themselves are diierent as will be described.

The cable 3| extends upwardly from block 21 and is guided around guide pulleys 38 and 39. It then extends down through the block 34 and around guide pulley 4|), then over to an operating drum 4|. It may have two turns around this drum so that as the drum is turned the endless cable will be moved equally, moving the two index members and the two blocks, but in opposite directions. The drum 4I is connected to a shaft 42 Ythat extends through an opening 43 in the `cover plate 23 as shown in Fig. 4. A hand knob 44 is pinned to this shaft 42 so that the drum can be turned by means of the knob 44.

The grooves in the guide pulleys 38, 39 and 40 are preferably V-shaped and so arranged that they contact the cable along their inclined side. The cable is preferably held taut by a weighted roller 46 pivotally mounted in the housing at one side of the roller axis. The roller bears downwardly on the cable between the pulley 4|! and the drum 4|.

The index member 36 that is carried by block 34 is in the form of a scale plate having scale readings above and below the zero mark. The readings on this scale plate directly show the plus and minus variations from the desired clearance between the male and the female members being gauged at the same time.

Assume that theY spindle I engages a female work-piece or cylinder and a plunger or piston is applied to the gauging member Vl I. The piston and the cylinder are intended for interftting relation and it is desired to know if the amount of clearance these parts will have with one another is too much or too little. The leakage present at the gauging orifice I3 determinesthe level of the float I4, and the leakage at the gauging orifice at the side of the groove I2 determines the height of the float 2|. Assume that the male and female pieces being gauged are the standards or masters, and are of exact known size'with the proper amount of clearance. This clearance may perhaps be l/mooo of an inch in case of certain kind of pumps and the amount of permissible tolerance from that desired clearance may be one half that total clearance, plus or minus. With the standard pieces applied, the knobY 44 is adjusted until the index 25 is directly opposite the float i4 wherever that oat may be. The thumb screw 35 is loosened and the index or 'scaleV plate 35 is then moved along the cable until its zero line is directly opposite the top of the oat 2| wherever that float may be. YThis adjusts the gauge for the masters, and the Work- Y of the tube, receiving a flexible cable 3 l. A thumb 4 pieces to be gauged are then applied to the gauging members. 1

Suppose that the float lll'takes some new position when the workpieces are applied. The knob 44 is then turned until the index arm 25 is directly opposite this new position of the float. That automatically adjusts the scale plate 36 so that its Vzero mark should be opposite the float 2| if v there is the exact desired clearance between the male and female members being gauged as existed in the masters. However, if this clearance is alittle more or little less, that willV be directly shown by the position of the float 2l with respect to the scale markings on the index plate 36.V If

lthe clearance is a little bit more than the exact 1/1o,ooo of an inch desired, the top of the float 2| would be a little above the zero mark and the amount of this increase of clearanceis directly shown by the graduations on the index or scale plate 35. The exact size of the male or of the female member need not be known, but the exact clearance that would exist between the parts is` gauged directly in accordance with the present invention. Parts can therefore be selected t best cooperate with one. another. v

It will be obvious that if the male part being gauged is slightly smaller than the standard, the increased air now through the tube 20 causes the float 2| to assume a somewhat higher position than with the standard. If the female part being gauged at the same time is also a little smaller than standard there would be less ilow through the tube I5, so that as one float lowers theother oat should correspondingly rise, if the clearance between the workpieces is the desiredV amount. Where the only reading desired is the amount of clearance'between the male and female parts being gauged at the same time, itis unnecessary to provide a scale along the side of the tube I5, but if the exact size of the female member is to be determined, a scale plate 5D, provided with graduations, is arranged along the tube I5 so that the size of the female part will be shown by the scale readings in comparison to the readings on the scale when the female standard is used. The scale plate 56 may also extend around back of the tube 28 and` have graduations that maybe used in conjunction with that tube if desired. The graduations on this scale plate need not be considered, however, in merely gauging the clearance between two parts intended to intert with one another.

While the formrof apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this'precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope-oftheinvention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A gauging'device comprising a pair of upright flow tubes of tapering internal cross sectional area, a support on which said tubes are arranged with their smaller ends lowermost, a work engaging member connected to one of said tubes and having a fluid discharge gauging nozzle adapted for cooperation with the interior surface of a workpiece,V a work engaging Vmember justable index member for each of said tubes adjustably mounted for movementI along the length of their respective tubes, and means interconnecting said index members to cause equal but opposite movement of said members.

2. A gauging device comprising a pair of upright flow tubes of tapering internal cross sectional area, a support on which said tubes are arranged with their smaller ends lowermost, a Work engaging member connected to one of said `tubes and having a iiuid discharge gauging nozzle l adapted for cooperation with the interior surface of a workpiece, a Work engaging member connected to the other of said tubes and having a fluid discharge gauging nozzle adapted for cooperation with the exterior surface of a second workpiece intended to intert with the rst workpiece, said tubes each having a iioat operable therein in response to the rate of flow of uid through the respective gauging nozzles, an index member for each of said tubes, means for adjustably supporting said index members for movement along the length oi' their respective tubes, means interconnecting said index members to cause equal but opposite movement of said members, and means operable to adjust said members.

3. A gauging device comprising a pair of upright ilow tubes of tapering internal cross sectional area, a support on which said tubes are arranged with their smaller ends lowermost, a work engaging member connected to one of said tubes and having a fluid discharge gauging nozzle adapted for cooperation `with the interior surface of a workpiece, a work engaging member connected to the other of said tubes and having a iiuid discharge gauging nozzle adapted for cooperation with the exterior surface of a Second workpiece intended to interiit with the iirst workpiece, said tubes each having a float operable therein in response to the rate of flow of fluid through the respective gauging nozzles, an adjustable index member for each of said tubes, one of said index members having a scale showing plus and minus variations from a normal clearance between the two workpieces, and means inter-connecting said indexes for simultaneous but opposite movement.

4. A gauging device comprising a pair of upright iow tubes of tapering internal cross sectional area, a support on which said tubes are arranged with theirsmaller ends lowermost, a work engaging member connected yto one of said tubes and having a iluid discharge gauging nozzle adapted ior cooperation with the interior surface of'a workpiece, a Work engaging member connected to the other of said tubes and having a fluid discharge gauging nozzle adapted for cooperation with the exterior surface of a second workpiece intended to intert with the first workpiece, said tubes each having a float operable therein in response to the rate of flow of uid through the respective gauging nozzles, an index member for each of said tubes adjustably mounted for movement along the length of their respective tubes, an interconnection for said index members to cause relatively opposite movement of said members, means for operating said interconnection to move said index members and means for relatively adjusting the position of said index members with respect to said interconnection.

5. A gauging device comprising a pair of upright flow tubes of tapering internal cross sectional area, a support on which said tubes are arranged with their smaller ends lowermost, a Work engaging member connected to one of said tubes and having a fluid discharge gauging nozzle adapted for cooperation with the interior surface of a workpiece, a work engaging member connected to the other of said tubes and having a fluid discharge gauging nozzle adapted for cooperation with the exterior surface of a second workpiece intended to interlit with the iirst workpiece, said tubes each having a float operable therein in response to the rate of flow of fluid through the respective gauging nozzle, an adjustable index member for each of said tubes, means for guiding said index members for movement along the lengths of their respective tubes, a exible cable interconnected to said members, means guiding said cable to cause equal but opposite movement of said members, means for moving said cable to adjust said members, and an index scale on one of said members for directly indicating the clearance between the workpieces.

.RICHARD Y. MOSS. 

